After a highly disappointing forth place at the Tour the France 100th edition, it was clear that the main goal of the upcoming season for Alberto Contador would be bouncing back with a strong performance resulting with an overall victory in la Grande Boucle.

Apparently relaxed during Tinkoff-Saxo training camp held in Gran Canaria, Spanish rider shared his reflections about the last year and greater expectations concerning 2014, lessons he has learned, tricky relationship with Oleg Tinkoff as well as doping scandals affecting Bjarne Riis and Michael Rogers.

Even though 2013 season has to be considered as a disappointing one for Contador, he will be the Tinkoff-Saxo team uncontested leader during their campaigns this year. While numerous rumors about an uneasy relationship between the Spanish champion and Oleg Tinkoff – the Russian business mogul who bought the Danish team from Riis – were circulating after the latter one has criticized Spaniard in his twitter exclamations, former Tour the France winner affirms they are on good terms at the moment.

"We've got a new jersey, a new owner but at the end of the day, nothing's really changed. On the contrary, I think there's more stability in the team. We're focused and ready to have a good season," he told Cyclingnews.
 

"I know that people were talking about my body language at the press conference to announce that Tinkov had bought the team but at the moment my relationship with him is perfect. We're working in the same direction and things are good."

Contador believes the financial stability which comes along with Tinkoff is crucial for the team’s constant development and it takes a lot of pressure off Bjarne Riis shoulders.

"Oleg buying the team is great news and good for everyone. The financial stability of the team is very important in this difficult moment for cycling, where backers are scarce. It will help the motivation and unity in the team and so help me perform even better. We know the sponsor is backing us and believes in us."

In terms of pure results, with only one victory taken in the very beginning of the 2013 season at the Tour the San Luis, it cannot be called a successful one for the rider of Alberto Contador’s class. However, the 31-year old Spaniard points out to some brighter sides of those happenings, claiming that he managed to maintain a desired level of consistency throughout a whole year and he was just unable to finish it off by winning more races. Tinkoff-Saxo leader finds a partial excuse for never hitting his peak disposition in wrongly undergone winter period and too long build-up preceding the last Tour the France.

Now his main objective, apart from a highly anticipated victorious come back to la Grande Boucle, is to turn the consistency into won races.

"I think I was consistent in 2013, I was often in the top five in races that mattered but that's not good enough for Alberto Contador. Everyone expects me to win. I know this and understand it," he conceded.

"That's why I'm working hard this winter. Last winter wasn't so good and I think racing so early at the Tour de San Luis affected things. This year I'm going to take things more tranquillo and program well my season. I'll have a complete season, starting off quite intensely with some good races in the spring, then I'll back off and recover before riding the Dauphine so that I can start the Tour de France in the best possible condition."

It was revealed that Contador’s racing schedule for 2014 will contain fewer races, including Volta ao Algarve, Tirreno-Adriatico and Vuelta al Pais Vasco before undergoing the typical Tour the France build-up.

"I'll be targeting the Tour de France and the Vuelta and that won't be easy, in fact the Vuelta will be a bit of an incognito. But I think I can be at a good level," he said, edging his bets.

"We've decided to go for Tirreno-Adriatico because the Paris-Nice course doesn't seem logical for me. Tirreno is hard and complete with a team time trial, a individual time trial and a mountain finish. That's better for me. After Tirreno I'll do Catalunya and the Volta Pais Vasco. Then I'll focus on the Tour."

Spanish rider believes that selling the team to Oleg Tinkoff should bring a positive outcome as it takes a huge pressure off the shoulders of Bjarne Riis, who faces scrutiny in Denmark due to the on-going investigation into allegations of doping in his teams. Contador claims that his squad will be provided with a better support from the Dane as he can concentrate on a technical sports aspects of their functioning as a team manager.

"With the arrival of Oleg, Bjarne no longer has to worry about finding sponsors for the future and so is more relaxed and can focus better on working with us all. That includes me because we live near each other in Lugano. That's important for me to have a good season," Contador told Cyclingnews.

"I don’t have all the information to understand what's happening in Denmark. I can only say that Bjarne has never talked about doping with me from the moment we first met. He's always been against it. I think he's got more moral values than all the team directeurs I've ever worked with in my career. He's the best team manager I could have."

Contador was equally supportive of teammate Michele Rogers, who failed a doping test for Clenbuterol at the tour of Beijing in October. Contador also tested positive for the banned steroid at the 2010 Tour de France. He always said his positive was caused by contaminated food and believes that Rogers' positive was caused by the same reason. 

"For me there's nothing strange about his case. In fact it's very simple," Contador told Cyclingnews.

"After my experience with the same Clenbuterol problem it's simple: I've got 100 per cent trust in Michael and I expect everything will turn out right. I'm sure it's a case of food contamination, not a doping case. I hope everything will be cleared up because as well as being a good friend, Michael is a great rider that is fundamental for the team."